Lady Loki
by Up All Night To Get Loki
Summary: Thor/Avengers based story, what happens when a S.H.I.E.L.D research agent bumps into Loki's closest ally, Lady Loki. Will friendships be made or will ties be cut? Either way adventure and chaos ensue in the nine realms!
1. Chapter 1

Lady Loki

_1_

Sometimes those with the names that go unspoken have the most interesting stories. Such was the case with Cora or, as she preferred to be called, Lady Loki.

We begin this tale, not in her home of Asgard, but on Earth. Banished by Odin she now lay in a deep crater in the middle of desert land. Like a fallen angel she lay quiet in her unconscious state, her body bruised from the long fall.

"Well that wasn't what I was expecting to happen" said a bystander as she made her way towards the seemingly lifeless form "but something tells me that this is what I have been looking for".

The bystander was actually a S.H.I.E.L.D agent from New York who specialised in magic and mythology. She was a researcher for them but she wasn't an average human like most of the other scientists. She had special powers but was not a field agent yet. She had to prove herself to Fury as she was young and he was unsure she had full control of what was a pretty impressive set of abilities. She was out in the desert investigating strange weather patterns which she now connected to this event. Approaching with caution and just a hint of excitement she knelt down beside the pale being, not entirely sure what to do

"Who are you?" she whispered to herself as looked over the young women in front of her. Looking for any indication of who this could possibly be she noticed a bracelet on the girl's wrist and looking at it thought there might be an engraving on the other side. She removed it with the upmost care and sure enough there was a small engraving on the inside

"_To my dearest Cora, you are and forever shall be Lady Lo…" _

"What are you doing with that?" came a pained but angered voice from the floor.

"Oh, you're awake"

"Give that ba…" attempting to get up she winced, preventing her from finishing

"Don't try and move! You fell from the sky and hit the ground pretty hard. Just sit still for a moment… what is your name?" asked the agent, trying to hide the fact that she was incredibly excited to be in the presence of someone from another realm. She had met Thor only once in her life and that was by accident.

"Return my bracelet to me first and then I will co –operate" said the woman holding out her hand. The agent placed the bracelet in the palm. "Thank you. I am Lady Loki, who are you Midgardian?"

"Wow… _Lady_ Loki" again trying to hide her enchantment "Oh… I'm Skyla"

She just watched for a moment as Lady Loki grew accustomed to her surroundings. She was surprised at her lack of fear or confusion at having fallen from her home to this planet but took note of the sadness on her face.

"Why don't I take you somewhere comfortable?" said Skyla without thinking. All the agent wanted to do was find out more about from this gold mine of mythological and magical information. She pushed all the thoughts of Loki, the other agents of S.H.I.E.L.D's opinions of Asgardians and the catastrophic incident of the year before to the back of her mind, this was all she needed to make some headway in her research and get herself promoted to field agent. However, she temporarily forced that to the back of her mind too and focused all her attention on the matter at hand. "Let's get you back to my base camp, you look like you could do with some rest and recuperation" she stood up as she said this and held out her hand with a confidence that surprised but comforted the fallen Asgardian. Cora took the hand, painfully raised herself from the ground and stood to face her acquaintance.

"You humans are odd creatures. You show such compassion to strangers. I can only accept your kind offer and thank you for such kindness". These words were spoken with an almost apologetic tone so that Skyla only half heard

"You're welcome" she replied.

With that, the two headed out of the crater and started the short car journey to the base camp.


	2. Chapter 2

_2_

The room was small, and dimly lit. Skyla busied herself setting up a place to sleep and making something hot to drink for her unexpected guest. "I know its small but I'm travelling back to New York tomorrow. That's where I actually live before you think I'm some crazy lady living in the desert" she turned to smile at Cora but she didn't notice. Cora was sat on a small chair staring at the floor with a face like stone, cold and expressionless. "Do you want some coffee? I will get you a cup, might make you feel better…actually do you know what coffee is? Tell you what I will stop with the questions, you look like you are having a really rough day" she smiled again which again when unseen by her guest.

Cora sat with a sad look on her face, staring over the rim of a coffee cup. She couldn't help replaying the events over in her mind. She had fallen so fast from power to desolation that she really didn't know how to feel. "So… you fell from Asgard?" asked the researcher in an attempt to break the heavy silence of the moment, but the Lady was undisturbed. "Lady Loki!"

"What...Oh sorry, yes… yes I did"

"Why did you fall? Surely if you came to earth you would land on your feet like Thor does"

"You fall when you are pushed…" this seemed to animate her, her sad expression changed to one of irritation and she seemed to clench her teeth at the sound of Thor's name.

"Tell me why you are here" Skyla spoke with a gentle tone which reassured Cora. For some reason Skyla seemed to have something about her that allowed Cora to feel comfortable in her presence. "Start from the beginning" encouraged the earth dweller.

"My real name is Cora and I am… was an aid to the supposedly great 'Odin of Asgard'. I was a highly praised servant in his household and he entrusted me with very important missions and tasks that others could only dream of having. A few years ago I got my most important assignment. Before he caused all the havoc, Loki went missing from Asgard and was presumed dead, but Odin clutched to the hope that he survived his fall through the Bifrost. He sent me to various realms and worlds in search of his son. One of the last places I was sent was this realm here, your Earth"

"Well that explains why you are so calm and appeared to be used to our customs of coffee and friendliness" laughed Skyla "any way continue".

With a small, sideways smile Cora continued "I began my search for him here in this desert and it didn't take me long to see signs that he was alive and somewhere nearby. To cut a long story short I did find him…" Something seemed to stop the Lady mid story, as though the thought of what happened next troubled her somewhat.

"What? What's wrong?"

"He told me everything! He told me what Odin had done, how he was kept from his rightful place on the throne because of who his was and… and I told him the truth about myself. Our stories intertwined. He is a Frost Giant from the realm of Jotunheim, stolen from his home as a baby and brought up as the second son of Odin but as the older of the two he should have had the throne by right…but because of his linage he was never going to be king…he was another prize…a spoil of war that Odin kept close at hand as a reminder of his victory. He then told me how his own race had abandoned him and left him to die because he was too small. Frost Giants are a cruel race and aren't afraid to do horrible things like leave their weak children to die."

She paused to gather her thoughts, Skyla just looked at her intently listening to the tale unravel and when silence fell for just a second she automatically blurted "Go on…please".

"I too am of Frost Giant descent, and when he told me this woeful saga, I told him this. I was in tears at the thought of his mistreatment. And it is true…I too was a small child left to die… a weakling…Odin had told me as much. I had always had a soft spot for Loki and after his account I tried my very best to comfort him and for a reason is still can't explain I trusted his every word… perhaps it is our entangled past… I was on his side from that day. I never told Odin where he was hiding, I spent months moving back a forth between Earth and Asgard, and we built up a close bond. We courted and eventually married in secret. With the gift of this bracelet I became Lady Loki. After a year, Loki decided to fight back and you already know how that turned out. He was taken and held prisoner by Odin and Thor and I was entrusted to watch over him in his cells. That is why I am here…"

"What? What did you do?"

"I refused…I spoke my mind about Odin's treatment of us Frost Giants and his treatment of the Prince of Jotunheim and rightful King of Asgard… and Odin banished me… threw me down to Earth" tears had weld in her eyes as she finished her story. Skyla looked on as she thought over all she had just heard. Part of her didn't want to trust the wife of S.H.I.E.L.D's most hated villain but that was overruled by the enchanting and heart wrenching tale and all she could think to say was "Thank you". Skyla was unsure of what to say or do next so the two just sat in the silence. Cora gently brushed a tear away from her eye, looked up at her host and whispered "I'm tired, that's the reason for this, I don't usually cry"

"I will show you where you can sleep but first let's get you some PJ's"

Cora had spent her whole time on Earth in a green tunic with what looked like black leggings underneath, her gold bracelet, and black boots made of a soft material the was unfamiliar to Skyla and they were tied to her feet with black leather straps. She did look odd and very out of place sat amongst Skyla's research papers, computers and various other Earthly objects. Handing her an oversized shirt and some sweat pants and showing her to her temporary room Skyla's mind suddenly turned to other things. Namely… work. Unfortunately she didn't have much time to think of how she was going to firstly tell Fury about what had happened and secondly do it without ACTUALLY explaining it. She knew that if they found out about Lady Loki bad things would happen and although she wanted to become a S.H.I.E.L.D field agent more than anything and knew this discovery would get her the promotion, she felt bad for what happened to Cora and couldn't help but want to keep her safe. At that moment a call came through on her laptop. She was intelligent enough to know who it was. She ran to Cora's room shouting "Cora can you stay in there for a while… just don't come out okay!" and without really waiting for a reply spun round, ran back to the living room and opened that laptop. "Good evening Skyla. I trust the research is almost complete"

"Done and done actually Fury, just finished a few hours ago" this was true, that answer practically fell into her lap.

"Good, then I can expect you back in New York tomorrow?"

"Of course Sir!" this was also going to be true as well.

"Can you tell me what caused the strange weather patterns over that area?"

"I want to tell you with everyone else. It's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow but I will give you a full report on it." This was a lie of course, she was going to write a fake report overnight and give that in the next day. She had bought herself some time.

"Ok, I trust you. On another note, have there been any developments with your abilities yet. You seemed to be getting to grips with them last time we spoke"

"O totally, I am beginning to master my force fields… but phasing, that's a whole other ball game, but I'm getting there!"

"I look forward to seeing you back in training tomorrow, goodbye Skyla"

His face disappeared from the screen and Skyla breathed a sigh of relief unaware she was being watched.

"You are associated with that man…my loves enemy" Skyla spun round to see Cora standing in the doorway of her room "and you are not a human like I've come to think… Who are you? Tell me the truth or you shall feel the power that I wield!"


	3. Chapter 3

_3_

The Lady's thin human form seemed to have all the power of a frost giant. As she stood across the room from Skyla. Her blue eyes were bright and her face fixed in a steely expression, her dark hair falling about her shoulders. Skyla looked at her opponent with an equally steely look, she was not afraid, her dark eyes stayed in contact with Cora's.

"I will tell you the whole story" she said not losing focus, not backing down. "I will start by telling you I am researcher, this is true, but I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I am a human but I'm a mutant. My powers developed as I grew up. I discovered I was different when I was thirteen… I really injured a guy when I got in a fight with him. He was picking on me and I decided that I had had enough of his shit. I met him on the black top at recess, went to take a swing at him and my hand went straight through him. I opened my eyes and saw it only to get stuck in his rib cage. He freaked out and then I freaked out and couldn't get my hand out until the paramedics arrived. I didn't know at the time that S.H.I.E.L.D had been watching me since I was born. After I had removed my hand from the bully people started calling me a freak and monster and I became a complete out cast. I had no idea that I had these 'powers' until then. One day when I was sat alone on a bench in the school yard, a teacher called me in to the classroom. Agent Coulson was sat at one of the desk and he spoke to me. That's how I ended up doing what I'm doing. That's the short version at least."

She looked back at her opponent who was now staring out of the window. She had lost the anger in her eyes and now looked almost thoughtful.

"My Loki's staff is being held in the inside the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. He told me this the last time I saw him"

"Yeah. So what?"

"I propose a deal" all anger was gone from her voice and Cora now looked as though she was scheming, a mischievous smile spread across her face. "If you keep my presence on Earth a secret I have a proposal for you that you will find very hard to refuse"

With a tentative shake to her voice Skyla replied "What is this deal?"

"If you can somehow sneak me into your work place I will allow you get the best research opportunity of your life"

"What would that be?"

"I will take you to Asgard"


	4. Chapter 4

_4_

"So you could really get me into Asgard?"

"Of course I could! I would need to get hold of Loki's staff first but I am a woman of my word!"

The two women were now back in New York in the SUV, the Asgardian looking very strange in a pale blue hoodie and black jeans that Skyla had lent her and the Midgardian looking like a human should in her other black jeans and leather jacket. She was very sceptical of the mischief god's partner and was still trying to figure out what she should do. They pulled up to her apartment building, got out and Skyla lead the way to her floor. "I haven't made up my mind weather to trust you yet but I will consider it. Hypothetically speaking if I agreed how would we get you past security? I guess they don't know who you are but the security is really tight since the incident your friend caused. I don't think, even if we dressed you like a human being, we could get you in". Cora laughed. "What's so funny?" Skyla retorted slightly agitated by her elevator companion's lack of concern.

"You clearly know very little of Loki or Frost Giant kind. We can shape shift" came a very suspicious reply.

"How will that help?" asked Skyla in surprise

"A person might not be able to get in but a raven could come in through a window if someone left it open for them" at this point Cora turned to Skyla as a hint.

Skyla just rolled her eyes and walked out of the elevator doors followed by Cora. When they reached her apartment, Skyla turned to face the Lady "Listen, I will gladly keep you a secret for now okay. But I haven't agreed to anything yet. You can stay in my apartment and when I stay I mean DON'T LEAVE THIS ROOM!"

"Fine"

"Okay good"

"I will be back in a couple of hours, I need to report to Fury, do a bit of training and then I will come home. There's food in the fridge, coffee machine, movies and crap daytime TV you should be okay"

Cora was fascinated by the moving picture on the screen "I have never seen anything like _this_ before"

"Great so you're distracted. See you later" and closing the door and locking it behind her, she whispered ti the sir "God I hope my apartment is still here when I get home".

And with that Skyla left her apartment and headed out to HQ. She had written her fake report for Fury which looked pretty convincing meaning that she could focus on herself for a while. More than anything was looking forward to getting some more training done. When the field agents of S.H.I.E.L.D weren't out they either stayed at home or came in to train and every now and again the mutant got to fight against them to experiment with her powers. She remembered the time she got to deflect arrows being shot by Hawkeye and how the time she had to find something inside Iron Man's suit by using her phasing abilities. However, she couldn't help thinking about Cora's proposal; she knew that with the research she gained she would surely get her promotion but that she would also be doing something illegal in two realms.

Skyla arrived at HQ and pushed every thought of the deal to the back of her mind, walked in the front door, flashed her ID and wale straight to the main office to meet Fury. Fury was tall and intimidating even when he was happy. He, like always, wore his black trench coat and black boots and stood with his arms behind his back "Welcome back Skyla!" he boomed as she walked into the room "I trust that in your hand is the report of the weather patterns"

"Of course it is you know I would never let you down sir" she said handing over the file

"Thank you"

Even when he was being kind he was still scary to her and still scarier as she knew she was lying to him and if he found out…let's just say he wouldn't be best pleased. She watched intently as he read through the 'report', trying to conceal her fear. His face remained a solid expression of focus and concentration. "Is that all it was, a weird weather pattern, nothing out of the ordinary"

"Yes sir" replied Skyla trying to stop her voice from cracking "that is it"

"Alright then" he placed the file down on a desk and walked past Skyla without making eye contact. She breathed a sigh of relief as he past. She realised that the whole time he was reading she was holding her breath. "I want to see how your skills have improved since I last saw you two weeks ago. I hope you haven't dropped your training regime just because you've been away" he then turned to look at her with a very serious face. She froze. He smiled. Then she smiled and followed him to the Training Room.

Entering the corridor they walked in silence and reaching the door of the Training Room she could hear the familiar sound of Capt. America and Iron Man having another argument. Before they could enter the Captain stormed out "Hi Cap" Skyla said innocently but she was dutifully ignored. "Come on Cap I was joking" came Tony's voice from inside the room.

"Since you're here Tony I could use you. Who else is around?"

"O hey Fury didn't see you there I think Widow is around somewhere, don't know who else, hey Skyla"

"Hi" suddenly back in the real world.

"What do you need me for Fury?"

"Well as you have already seen Skyla has returned from research trip and I want to observe her. Let's get started! Set yourself up on the left side of the room Tony and Skyla you go on the right. I'm going to watch you from upstairs."

Skyla was nervous but incredibly happy to be back to training again. Fury's voice came over the intercom. "I want you to play nice Tony, remember she is still getting used to her powers. Skyla I just want you to focus. Right, whenever you are ready!"

"Good luck kid" and with that Iron Man's face plate closed and he fired the repulse beam out of his left hand. Without thinking Skyla jumped gracefully out of the way, rolling so as not to injure herself and got straight back on her feet. Iron Man swiftly repeated the same move with his right hand and once again Skyla moved out of the way with surprising skill. This event repeated several times before Fury intervened "I'm not here to see a gymnastics act, I already know that your combat and defence abilities are outstanding. I need to see your mutant abilities. Hey Tony, kick it up a notch will you!"

"Happily" replied the iron clad man. Skyla was standing roughly 3 meters away from her opponent now and without warning he fired his unibeam. In split second the pale glow of her force field surrounded her. It was only weak so she could hold of the beam for few minutes before it broke through. "Come on Sky! I've seen you do better than that" shouted Fury over the intercom. With that came a second beam, and Skyla's second wind. The glow surrounded her again only this time it had much more power. The beam hit and the field held strong. In fact it held so well the beam was dispersed forcing Tony to give up. The fighters, both panting heavily, met in the middle of the room and shook hands. "You're pretty tough when you get going kid" said Tony removing his helmet.

"Thanks" replied Skyla coolly, even though on the inside she was buzzing from the whole experience.

"That was excellent Sky" came Fury's voice, this time from the door "I knew you were strong you just needed someone to remind you. Thanks Tony, you can go back to doing whatever it is you do"

Tony left and Fury turned back to Skyla "Now I want to see your phasing. I'm sure if what I just saw isn't just a fluke, then you have come a long way since the first time I saw you. What I want you to do now I run from here to the board room on the other side of the building. I have the security cameras linked in to a screen in there. I will keep an eye on you form there. See you shortly."

With that the imposing gentleman left the room. Skyla lined herself up with the centre of the room, gave herself enough space for a good run up, mentally prepared herself and went for it. This time she felt like it was much easier than before. She had run through the first three walls already and hadn't bounced off a single one. That is until she came across an empty lab with a large object sat on a table. She ran through the first walled and entered the room , and losing her focus for just a split second, hit the opposite wall with quite a lot of force "SHIT! Ahh man that hurt! What have I been told before, focus, FOCUS". Picking herself up of the floor, still holding her hand to her forehead in a vain attempt to stop it hurting, she looked around at the shiny thing that had distracted her.

There, sat in front of her, was Loki's staff.

_Authors Note:_

_Greetings readers! Hope you are enjoying the adventures of Skyla and Cora. This is my first FanFic, so any feedback is appreciated. All I can ask of you is that you keep reading and enjoying and if you could review the story and tell me what you think of the characters so far I would be incredibly happy. THANK YOU for reading!_

_Jeffery Mansfield_


	5. Chapter 5

_5_

"What the hell?" said a confused and incredibly curious Skyla. She looked at the beautifully crafted yet incredibly simple staff laid on the table in front of her. She was lost in her thoughts for a while when in a split second and for no apparent reason, she grabbed the staff and started running. She ran through three walls, feeling surprisingly good about her spontaneous criminal act, not realising the staff hadn't come with her. She reached the fourth wall, ran headfirst through it and saw Fury. At this point she noticed her empty hands "Ahh crap! See ya!" she said as she turned on her heels around and sprinted back the way she came. By this point there was no going back on what she had decided to do and when she reached the room again, she picked up the staff and left via the door.

Looking around she saw Fury at the end of the corridor.

"Skyla! Don't you even dare!" he said this with mainly anger but also just a hint of disappointment in his voice.

A little unknown fact about Skyla was that when she panics she loses control of her phasing ability, so when Fury started running towards her she, as she had done before, fell through the floor. The room she fell into couldn't have been a worse choice. It was full of S.H.I.E.L.D agents and without hanging around to ask what was happening Skyla picked up the staff that had fallen out of her hand as she fell through what could now be called the ceiling.

Skyla flew out of the building not stopping to see if she had been followed. She jumped into her SUV, drove home as fast as she could, ran to her apartment and flung herself through the door. Locking it behind her, panting, exhilarated and scared out of her head she looked round to find Cora exactly where she was left.

"CORA LET'S GO NOW!"

"What do you me..." turning around Cora saw the staff in Skyla's hands "When did this happen? What happened to our original shape shifting plan?"

"No time for questions. We have it, let's go"

Skyla ran frantically around her apartment to grab things she thought she might need. Cora stood in the middle of the room confused but ultimately impressed with her new companion's bravery.

"Seems my wickedness is rubbing off on you, I take full credit for what you just did"

"Not now Cora!" said Skyla heading towards the door "Let's get going RIGHT NOW"

At that moment a dark shadow rose up and came into the view of the apartment window and someone hammered at the door. The S.H.I.E.L.D agent had surrounded her small living quarters as some of the confidence left Skyla. She had been fairly sure of herself up until this point but now felt unprepared. Cora somehow picked up on this and sarcastically commented "You see! This…" she indicated to their surroundings "This is why you plan before you do reckless things"

"This really isn't a good time! What's done is done now… WHAT DO WE DO"

By this point the banging at the door became more persistent and Skyla was very much in panic mode. Cora on the other hand seemed to actually be enjoying the peril and with a smile on her face Cora grabbed a chair and hurled it at the window. The glass shattered. The Helicopter swerved up and out of the way. Cora snatched the staff from Skyla's hand. And running towards the window shouted "Find a way to get to your car then meet me in the dessert where you found me" and before a response could be made Cora leapt out the window. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Skyla screamed as she too ran towards the giant hole in the glass. Looking down however she couldn't see her companion. However as she looked around she saw what looked like a raven swooping overhead and grasped firmly in its claws was the staff. "O. My. God. She wasn't kidding" and as she watched she saw her friend fly in front of the chopper and begin to lead it away from the building.

Skyla now had to think of her own plan of escape and she suddenly to the realisation that the people at her door seemed to be using a battering ram to try to intrude. She, without stopping to think for too long, grabbed the bag she had been preparing and began running towards the door. As quick as lightning she ran through the unopened door, through the agents and in to apartment across the hall. Then, still running, went through all the rooms to reach the end of the hall and the elevators. She got in the first elevator that opened, got the ground floor and then didn't stop running until she reached her car.

She didn't once stop to think until she was out of the city. As she drove all she had done suddenly sank in. She had stolen something from S.H.I.E.L.D, she had out run them, she then managed to gain control of her phasing powers for the first time in a while and she was now driving out of town to meet the partner of one of the most wanted men in the nine realms, and for what? A chance to see Asgard which was no longer a valuable trip to her as she had most definitely lost her job.

But, in all honesty, she didn't care. She had done it now and felt pretty bad ass for doing so and was looking forward to the future and adventure.

It was night when Skyla reached the crater site. She saw the Lady sat on top of a rock on the edge of the hole. She pulled up and her accomplice greeted her.

"I was wondering when you were going to turn up" said Cora as she jumped down from her perch.

The adrenaline suddenly came back and seeing Cora, Skyla replied "That was INSANE! I have never done anything like that before" she was smiling from ear to ear.

"You have clearly never been truly alive my dear! Wait until we get to Asgard and you will see that, in comparison, this was child's play" Cora smiled her mischievous, sideway grin "Are you ready, mutant Midgardian?"

"More than I will ever be Asgardian"

**hey there readers! Greetings! I hope your enjoying the story so far the Asgardian gang are soon to make their appearance so no need to worry! Please review I'd love to know what you think and creative ideas are welcome! Remember the two Rs - read and review, keep reading, more chapters will appear in due time :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, had to repost this chapter as the format went a bit crazy last time, so sorry if you read it when it was crazy.**

**(pssst there might be a certain Jotun is this chapter ;) **

"Follow me!"

Cora walked towards and into the crater which had arrived in. Skyla was a little confused at this point as it suddenly dawn on her the, although they had a Tesseract in the form of the staff but, someone would have to open the gate on the other side to allow them to get in.

"What are you waiting for?" came a call from the hole.

"Cora, how exactly are we going to get to Asgard with just the staff? Don't we need someone to open the gate for us on the other side? That's how it works. I remember, I read it somewhere."

"You really think I would put you through all this, get you to the desert and tell you 'O by the way there isn't a way to get to Asgard, I lied to you'. I may be the God of Mischief love, but you can trust me"

"So how do we get in? Is there actually someone on the other side who trusts you?"

"There is one" she smiled and held the staff in the air. It began to glow faintly.

"Who? What are you doing?" said Skyla intrigued and confused by what was happening.

"There is something that Odin doesn't realise. Like Thor's link to his Hammer, Mjolnir, Loki has a telepathic link to this staff"

"Really... so how is that going to help us?"

"Loki uses this staff as a key to his secret entrance into Asgard. Heimdal doesn't trust me as you would expect so entering through the main Bifrost is impossible. We have to use one that Loki set up before he was put into prison. What I'm doing now is sending a signal to Loki so he can use his powers and open the gate for us".

At that moment the glow from the staff intensified and this brought a full smile to Cora's face "Found you" she whispered. She looked over at her companion who was just climbing down into the crater "Skyla! Grab on to the staff and hold on as tight as you can. It's time for me to fulfil my promise"

"Let's do this!"

Skyla ran over to where her new friend was standing, more excited than ever. Unsure of what to expect she grabbed the staff. The wind suddenly picked up and dust swirled around them. The staff lit up and the light became too intense to look at. Skyla, instead, looked across at Cora. She looked right back at her. Their feet left the ground and they flew up into the sky and beyond as they travelled through time and space.

"I hope your balance is good, the landing is going to be bumpy" shouted Cora jokingly.

* * *

"That was…was some ride" Skyla panted breathless after her first experience of dimensional travel.

"Well you held up very well. I wasn't sure how your body would take cross realm travel" Cora surveyed the area to ensure they weren't being watched.

You catch your breath. I'm going to go for a fly and find the best way to get to the castle" and with that, the black shape disappeared over the edge of the cliff they had ended up on. Skyla stood up and looked around at the view. And what a view she found. From the position among the rocks Skyla could see pretty much the whole of Asgard, the Palace being, of course, the most magnificent sight of all. She was so entranced she didn't notice Cora land on the boulder behind her.

"Beautiful isn't it" she said calmly.

"Yeah, the drawings in the books don't do it justice" replied Skyla without looking away.

"I found a route to the palace. Come on!"

They walked in silence, Skyla still admiring the beauty of Asgard and Cora following the path which Loki had told her about. The path led down the side of a mountain, under the streets of the city and into the dungeons below the palace where Loki was being confined. They reached a tunnel entrance which lead directly to the dungeons. Cora stopped and for the first time since the two had met she looked at Skyla with a serious face.

"When we reach the dungeons you will wait in the mouth of this tunnel. You will stay there no matter what happens. I want you to promise that you will do this and promise that you will trust me"

"Okay" replied Skyla with strength in her voice that pleased Cora.

"Follow me closely"

They walked down a long, dark tunnel and the only light was coming from the other end where the dungeon was. Cora made a signal to Skyla, who instinctively knew to stay put "I will be back soon" said Cora and disappeared into the solemn yet elaborate prison.

* * *

Cora approached the cell which contained her love.

"I have returned. Did you miss me?" she asked with her traditional sideways smile.

"Cora…I knew you would come back to me. Of course I missed you"

The man was Loki.

The two individuals came close to each other; the only thing stopping their embrace was the light-wall of the cell. They looked at each other for a short time. Loki smiled and tears came to Cora's eyes. She lost her composure for a moment and stammered

"I thought…I thought I would never see you again"

"I thought the same" said Loki smiling at her "but you are here now" something clicked in Loki's mind "Were you seen? I don't want you to be hurt, I know they were kind and only banished you last time but they will kill you if they find you"

"I don't care. I've kept myself hidden so far. I came through the door you created, thank you for letting us in"

"Us?"

"I've brought a friend, a Midgardian…She is trustworthy" Cora than noted the look of discomfort on her partners face "Without her I wouldn't have found your staff and wouldn't have been able to see your face again"

Cora tried to hide the tears welling up in her pale eyes.

"Introduce me to her"

Said Loki with a comforting tone to try and stop his comrade from crying./div  
Cora waved to Skyla who cautiously came out of the darkness. She stood in the mouth of the tunnel for a moment, shocked by the fact that the dungeons where actually beautiful as opposed the horrid place she had imagined. She quietly walked over to Cora and stood behind her friend.

"Loki, my darling, allow me to introduce you to my companion, Skyla. She was a S.H.I.E.L.D agent before she went rouge and stole your staff for me"

"You're a curious creature aren't you but if my Lady trusts you then you must be one of us"

"Umm thank you" said Skyla, not a hundred percent that she liked being one of them. She assumed that he meant that she was a rebel like them and for the moment she accepted it with a slight hesitation.

"To allow me and Loki some time to talk, I have decided that I will dress you like an Asgardian and allow you some time to wander the streets and explore" said Cora with a smile that hid something but Skyla didn't notice. Her mind was elsewhere as she looked at Loki who stared back, also smiling, but his eyes had deceit and deviousness in them.

"Huh… O really? You're going to let me see Asgard in the full"

"Of course! I'm just fulfilling my half of the bargain"

* * *

It was a stunningly beautiful day in Asgard but in reality there was never really a day that could be thought of otherwise. It was a market day too and the streets were full of people shouting, laughing, selling good and just enjoying the sun. Skyla, cleverly disguised by her comrade, blended into the crowd perfectly and completely forgot that she had just essentially entered a realm illegally and was probably not the most popular person in her own realm either.

There where various stalls with many beautiful looking clothing items and delicious treats. Skyla found herself drifting from stall to stall, her eye being caught buy something colourful on a jewellery stand or something sweet on a pastry stall. This was close to being the perfect day for Skyla had it not been for the event that unfolded soon after she had reached the end of one of the many rows of stands. Turning to look at a turquoise, fur lined cape something distracted her. Out of the corner of her eye, Skyla noticed a dark shape dart behind the stall next to her. Thinking nothing of it, she continued to look at the wonderful selection of necklaces.

Without warning someone at the other end of the street screamed, then another and another. This caught Skyla completely off guard. People started running towards her and not wanting to see what caused such a violent reaction she joined the crowd. As she turned, again, she saw what looked like a black mass at the back of the crowd attacking some of the Asgardian's who weren't fast enough.

This sudden uproar attracted the attention of four very important people. Having been given the day off to enjoy the market, the Warrior three along with Lady Sif were strolling the streets. At the sound of the scream the four sprang into action. What they came up against was a creature they had not seen before. A black panther stood before them. The panther ran in the opposite direction to the warriors and resumed chasing the terrified people of the city.

Skyla stopped for just a moment to see what this animal was doing. At that moment, it saw her, ran towards her and leapt. Skyla screamed as the panthers claws dug into her shoulders pinning her to floor. Skyla retaliated managing to free her left arm and punch the cat in the nose. The creature recoiled, realising Skyla, who grimaced and she tried to push herself up from the floor. The panther then grabbed her and bit down hard, not breaking bone, but causing one hell of a wound.

The warriors finally caught up and took over the fight with the beast but not before it took one last swipe at Skyla, hitting and scratching her stomach. Hogan and Volstag distracted and taunted the big black monster while Sif tried to sneak up on it from behind. A fight that ended in the beasts escape with nothing more than a few scratches followed. As for Skyla, she lay on the floor bleeding enough to make her feel faint, lay on the ground pale and defenceless. Lucky for her, among these brave fighters, there was a gentleman. As her eyes closed and she lost consciousness, she felt herself leave the ground and the arms of another person hold her. That man was Fandral.

**hope you're enjoying the story so far, chapter 7 is up already and I've just finished writing chapter 8, so there will be lots more for you guys to read. It would be great if you could review, feedback is invaluable! Who's your fave OC Cora or Skyla?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry the update took so long, I have been a busy old bee lately! **

**Enjoy Chapter 7! Xx**

7

"Poor girl. Her wounds aren't deep but I imagine, from experience, that they caused her a great amount of pain"

Fandral sat and looked at the pale sleeping form of Skyla. He had brought her from the scene of the incident and laid her in his room. The healers had looked her over and said she needed a safe and quiet place to recover and Fandral didn't want to let this woman out his sight for two reasons. Firstly the warriors had never seen a creature quite like the one that attacked the town and they needed to have an account of what it looked like from someone who got a good look at it. Secondly it was something of a habit for Fandral to be hopeless around damsels in distress but he felt particularly drawn to Skyla. Perhaps he saw something special in her Midgardian charms but he wanted to look after her and stay by her side,

"Come along Fandral!" said Sif in an angered voice "Thor is awaiting our report"  
With a sad look in his eye Fandral took one last look at the figure in the bed and left the room.

"Well you played your role perfectly" came a voice from the window ledge. Skyla stirred in the bed before opening her eyes. She recognised the voice and in a moment of realisation understood exactly what the voice meant. "And you now have Fandral on your side. That man has a weakness for damsels in distress and you were very much in distress" came the voice again.

"I… I am going to… to kill you!" said Skyla trying to get up from the bed.

"You are very badly hurt" Said the voice and at that moment a raven flew in through the large open window and landed on the side of the bed. Skyla taking advantage lunged for the bird who gracefully hopped out of the way as Skyla fell back in pain.

"It was you who attacked me! Cora! What the actual HELL!" Skyla said through clenched teeth before the pain subsided and her body relaxed.

"I didn't want to tell you about the plan me and Loki made so your reaction would be genuine" a smug look seemed to appear on the birds face as it jumped a little closer to Skyla's face.

"You and Loki thought it would be a good idea to attack me" said Skyla, resisting the urge to lash out again "what reason could you possibly have to attack me after everything I have done for you"

"It's nothing personal. We needed to get you inside the palace somehow and we knew that if we attacked you on market day then the warriors would come to your rescue. We didn't plan for Fandral to bring you straight into his room to look after you but it has worked out perfectly. If it makes you feel any better we are actually ahead of schedule on our plan"  
This pushed Skyla over the edge and she lashed out again narrowly missing the bird's beak as is it skipped across the bed.

"I swear to god if I had the strength I would slap you"

"Come now! You should be resting with such an injury!" there was now a definite smug look to the birds face as it flew back over to the window ledge. At that second, Fandral walked back in the room.

"I will kill you!" shouted Skyla to the now gone Cora.

"I have done nothing to you, but if I have offended you in some way Milady I would hope you could avoid killing me and we could work our way around whatever trouble you may have"  
Skyla turned around to where the voice came from. There standing in the door way was Fandral in his green embroidered jacket and swish of blonde hair. His brown eyes were tender and seemed to show both confusion and worry. He started to walk over to the bed and as though she were in a cheesy American movie everything went into slow motion for Skyla. She didn't realises that this was because she was about to pass out again and as her eyes closed she nearly fell of the bed. Fandral caught her mid fall and laid her back safely. Skyla regained consciousness and found her voice.

"Hot" she whispered breathlessly

"What was that?"

"Umm I said Hi!"

"Well I'm just glad to see you are awake and you will be safe here. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay…I think"

"Well you can rest here until you are ready to tell the king about the creature that attacked you. We have never seen this creature in the land before and you were, unfortunately, the only person to get a good look at it". There was a pause as Skyla lost herself in Fandral's eyes. "Are you alright Milady?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking. I can remember what it was. It was a panther… a black panther"

"Well that's a start I suppose! But we don't get these 'black panthers' in this realm" Fandral looked worried by Skyla's response "where does this creature originate from?"  
Without hesitation Skyla replied

"Earth or, I guess, Midgard as you call it"

"How do you know this?"  
Skyla suddenly realised she would have to either lie to him or come clean about the fact that she wasn't an Asgardian. Something about him made her feel at ease and something in her mind prevented her from lying to him in fear of losing the small amount of trust she had already gained.  
"I'm not from here… I am Midgardian" Skyla said calmly and confidently "But I'm also a mutant. I felt out of place on Earth so I came here…"  
Before Skyla could finish her sentence and Fandral could ask any questions Volstag appeared in the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt but, as soon as she is ready, the king requests the presence of the injured woman. Frigga has said she will lend her a dress and some serving girls to help her get ready"  
Two young women entered the room, one holding shoes and the other a dress. Fandral stood up to leave but in a moment of sanity Skyla grabbed hold of his wrist. He turned and embarrassed she let go but still managed to say

"Thank you for, you know, saving my life"

"The pleasure is all mine" said Fandral with a smile.

With the aid of one of the serving girls who helped her dress, Skyla made her way to the main hall where she would meet Odin to explain what happened in the market. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to say and for the first time in her life she was actually, truly afraid of what might happen if she said the wrong thing. They approached the doors to the hall Fandral came out to greet her.  
Speaking to the serving girls Fandral said

"Thank you. I will help her from here"

"Of course Sir Fandral"  
The girl had Skyla's arm around her shoulder to keep her steady. She step away and Fandral took her place only, because she was much smaller than him, Fandral had to put his arm around her shoulders and, to support herself, she had hers around his waist.

"Be calm"

"I'm calm"

"I can feel you shaking" said with his beautiful smile "All you have to do is explain what happened as best you can remember"

"Got it"

"Are you ready to go?" said Volstag looking at Skyla. She looked up at Fandral who was smiling at her.

"I'm ready. Let's do this"

**so I hope you enjoyed the update! I hope youre still enjoying Cora and Skyla's story, id love to know what you think of them, who's your favourite? So please review and leave comments I'd love to know your opinions on the story so far, every review is valued! Follow for updates, more to follow in the not too distant future! Thanks for reading! Xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delayed update the creative juices have begun to flowing again, enjoy the new update!**

The hall was huge, if you could call it a hall. The walls were covered in lavish cravings depicting something otherworldly. Skyla's uneven footsteps echoed between the columns as Fandral led her towards the forefront into the watchful eye of the Allfather. Fandral stopped before the throne, leaving Skyla to burn in the stare the Allfather was delivering. A stare so unnerving it left the mortal eyeing up the ground before her.

"Your wounds are healing well?" His voice was warmer than expected as it sounded strongly through the hall.

"I...Yes King Odin, I am very grateful for the care I have received" she stammered still avoiding the Kings gaze.

"Fear not young mortal, no harm shall come to you here" he spoke calmly, clearly acting on Skyla's discomfort. "I must ask you to recount your attack"

Skyla finally met his gaze, feeling a courage grow within her. She paused gathering her thoughts.

"I was looking around the market and then people started screaming and running towards me. I didn't know what was going on, but then a saw a huge black panther a few stalls down-"

"Black Panther?"

"Yes, it saw me and ran at me and before I could do anything it leapt onto me. I couldn't fight it off, I'm not very strong... It clawed into my shoulder and stomach." She paused remembering the pain. "The rest is a blur I just remember being dragged from its claws and lifted from the ground" She glanced to Fandral who smiled confirming to her he had carried her bloodied body from the scene.

"A black panther you say?" Skyla nodded "They are not of this realm, they hail from your home, Midgard?"

"Yeah, they live back on Earth" Odin was clearly mulling over the news. How did a non-magical being find its way to Asgard, how did this mortal find her way to Asgard?

"You hail from Midgard" Skyla nodded "by what circumstances did you find your way to Asgard?" The Allfather was intrigued, Skyla knew she wouldn't lie to an Asgardian God to stand up for Cora. Cora who had attacked her unmercifully without warning leaving her unable to walk unaided, wounds which pained her as she stood before the King. If she wished to stay on Asgard she would need to find a way into the Kings good books. now that thewhole of S.H.I.E.L.D. was on manhunt looking for her going back to Earth was out of the question.

"I was tricked, My Lord. By a sorceress. I found her wounded on Earth and I thought she was just some injured human, I took her in. She revealed her powers and I feared for my life. She seemed unbelievably powerful. For what I have done I am truly sorry but, I acted out of fear" Skyla's voice was solemn recounting the ordeal made her realise her down right stupid mistakes. Odins's eye was trained on her as she spoke.

"What happened?" he asked with a tone that was stern but not overly threatening.

"She said she could help my work and I believed her, I trusted her" she paused again her eyes falling to the floor. She inhaled deeply before continuing both calming her nerves but casing her pain. Wincing she continued "we committed awful crimes on Earth before she brought me here, to Asgard. She began to speak of her ties to Loki and when we arrived we went to speak to him first. She made this plan to attack me in the form of a panther to get your attention. I knew Loki from the destruction he had caused my home, I didn't want to become involved with such a man knowing what he was capable of and with the sorceress at his side who knows what they are planning"

Odin sat upright in his chair at the mention of his adopted son. He then began to piece together who the sorceress was from the link to his imprisoned son, but needed to hear the girl say it, hear if his fears were true. She and Loki had become too close with too much power between them. Their separation had been for the safety of Asgard.

"The name of this sorceress?" with concern in his tone

"Cora, my lord" Skyla couldn't tell if the Allfather was sympathetic with her, but she could read the signs of unsettle as she revealed the name. He sat in silence, planning his next move. Leaving Skyla to wonder if she'd done the right thing. He shifted in his throne before he spoke.

"Thank you for your truthfulness, we hold honestly highly. You can remain safe here on Asgard. Whatever damage you have done to Earth needs time to settle. I fear the sorceress will return for you" His eyes shifted past Skyla to the warrior behind her "You shall be under the guard of our loyal warrior Fandral"

He stepped forward to meet the king's eyes, bowed and smiled before glancing to Skyla, who caught his glance and returned the smile. "You may stay within the palace, if Cora seeks you out inform me swiftly" He nodded and Skyla returned with a curtesy. Fandral softly wrapped his comforting arm around her carefully avoiding her bandaging before leading her away from the throne room, leaving Odin alone with his thoughts.

The door closed behind the pair at which point Skyla almost collapsed on the floor. If it hadn't have been for Fandral's arm around her she probably would have hit her head on the marble floor. He swept her off her feet "I understand how hard that must have been for you, allow me to carry you to your room" turning to one of the serving girls

"Fetch something for Lady Skyla to eat and drink, and ensure it is fit for a guest of the King"

As he walked with her in his arms, Skyla felt somewhat embarrassed by the whole situation.

"I'm not normally so weak…I'm…I'm considered pretty tough back home"

"Of course! I believe you. But even the strongest of people need help every now and then"

"You know you are really charming… do you do this with every woman you meet? I've met your type before, you are what could be called a 'player'"

"A what?"

"Like a 'Lady killer' someone who goes around with their fabulous hair, gorgeous eyes and smile and so much charm that its coming out of your ears and you seduce all the women" Skyla, at this point realised what a horrible mistake she was making and that she had a serious case of I'm-really-nervous-in-front-of-a-guy-so now-I-can't-control-what-I'm-saying but she was too far down the line now so she just rolled with it. Luckily for her Fandral just laughed.

"I am consider quite flirtatious but I don't go around carrying all the women I've ever met"

"Okay good…sorry for that I…I"

"It is alright milady"

"Thank god you are so charming otherwise this could have been extremely awkward..."

**hiya, hope you're enjoying the story. Tried something a little different with the writing on this chapter. Please do review I'd love to know what you think of Cora and Skyla and where you think the story is going! There will be another update in the not too distant future! Thanks again remember to follow and review :)**


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